County wants employers to give felons second chance

ROCKFORD — Tommy Meeks wants to persuade business owners to take a chance on people who need a second chance.

Kevin Haas

ROCKFORD — Tommy Meeks wants to persuade business owners to take a chance on people who need a second chance.

Meeks teaches a “wake-up” class to young lawbreakers ordered to participate in Winnebago County criminal diversion programs at the county’s Resource Intervention Center, a former satellite jail that’s been converted into a one-stop shop for ex-offenders who need a lifestyle change.

He goes to bat for those who successfully complete their programs, lobbying local businesses to take chances on potential employees with criminal records.

Those who complete the program “have really accomplished something — they just need an opportunity,” Meeks said.

“Some people are really giving them an opportunity, and they’re not dissatisfied. That’s why I know this can really work.”

Roughly 850 people take classes at the RIC each month, said Perry Weatherford, supervisor for Winnebago County adult probation. Most are there because a court order requires them to complete certain programs as a condition of their probation, but other probationers can voluntarily participate in classes designed to help people obtain a GED, deal with substance abuse problems, learn to control their anger or prepare for a job, to name a few.

Winnebago County officials have been brainstorming ways to increase the number of ex-offenders they’re able to put to work, which could include using new video gambling revenue to finance jobs programs for offenders. Winnebago County Board Chairman Scott Christiansen said he thinks helping former inmates land jobs can prevent them from landing back in jail.

“We’ve got 15 businesses that have agreed to hire out of there,” Christiansen said. “We’re hoping to build on that.”

The county’s effort to find work for felons makes sense to local politicians, who consistently list crime and unemployment as the two biggest issues Winnebago County must tackle.

Meeks “can do maybe 50, 60, 70 jobs a year,” said Winnebago County Board member John Ekberg, who called the county’s Economic Development Committee together this fall to brainstorm ways to boost the impact of the RIC. “I want to have 10 Tommy Meekses out there.”

Ekberg has lobbied to put new video-gambling revenue toward job readiness programs that can support clients at the RIC. Video gaming is expected to bring in about $9,000 per year per business that has four video gaming machines.

Two businesses have expressed interest so far. As of now, the County Board has made no decision on how that revenue will be used.

Winnebago County will earmark close to $2.4 million for offender rehabilitation programs this year.

Dwayne Bronson, a 48-year-old screw machine operator, credits the RIC for helping him land his job at Rockford Acromatic. The Army veteran struggled with alcoholism and landed in jail after multiple arrests for driving under the influence, but he said he committed to changing his ways, and the RIC has helped him do so.

“They see a lot of people that are just going through the motions and not making any change,” Bronson said. “But if you’re willing to truly make a change, there’s lots of resources out there and lots of people that will help. And there are companies who are willing to give you a chance.”

Bronson’s and co-worker Brad Smith’s success at the RIC landed them in an unusual situation this summer — sharing a table with the judges they were used to seeing inside the courtroom. Bronson and Smith, 55, were seated at a table with Chief Judge Joe McGraw and Appellate Judge Kathryn Zenoff in April during Christiansen’s State of the County speech. The speech highlighted the success of the RIC, mainly the study by University of Illinois College of Medicine professors that showed RIC programs had reduced recidivism by 62 percent.

“When I was first arrested, my relationship with Judge McGraw was definitely adversarial. ... I viewed my probation officer as an adversary, I viewed all policemen as adversaries,” Smith said. “Through working with the people at the RIC, I came to see for me that these people are not my adversaries. If I just do the right thing, these people are some of the few that are actually on my side and can be my strongest proponents.”

Bronson and Smith, who works in shipping and receiving at Rockford Acromatic, said they’re uncomfortable in the spotlight, but they were willing to speak to a reporter because they believe in the program.

“I’m glad that I did get caught. I’m glad I did serve some time,” Bronson said. “If I didn’t, I would have never met the people through the RIC. Then, more than likely, I would have never gotten a job because I didn’t have the resources to help me.”

Rebecca Box, 51, who came to Rockford from Indiana, said her focus is to use the skills she learned at the RIC to go back to school. Box, 51, spent nine months in prison after a history of alcohol abuse that led to three DUIs in seven years. She said her past has alienated her own family.

“Without this place, I wouldn’t have the self-esteem I have,” she said. “In order to gain my family back, I have to keep moving forward. Keep continuing to do the right thing.”

Box first went to the RIC as part of community service, but quickly began to volunteer for a multitude of programs offered.

Meeks wants federal, state and local governments to look at their own hiring practices.

“The people I’m talking to say that if the state, federal and local governments won’t hire them, why should they,” he said. “I want Winnebago County to be a real example of what happens if we move forward and help citizens in our community that really want help.”